The two companies signed an agreement for the formal entry of EDF into the consortium. However, investment and participation details of EDF were not disclosed.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park will be located on a 16km2 site and it will be delivered in three stages. Phase A, which is 200MW, is presently under construction and is schedule for completion in next April.
The 300MW Phase B is expected to begin in April 2019 and finally, Phase C is expected to start in April 2020.
The 800MW project was awarded last year for a price of $2.99 per kWh, which was considered to be the lowest tariff for solar power generation in the country.
Masdar aims to further develop the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park into the single largest site in the world with a capacity of 5GW by 2030. Total investment is estimated to reach $14bn.
When complete, the solar plant could be able to offset as much as 6.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) managing director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer said: “We are happy to see more international companies such as EDF joining the Masdar-led consortium for the 800MW third phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park, which will be constructed based on the IPP model to achieve sustainable development.
“The Solar Park has attracted the interest of global business and energy companies, which reflects the trust and interest from international investors in large projects adopted by the Dubai Government, encouraged by the favourable existing regulatory and legislative frameworks in Dubai that enable public-private partnerships.
“We are working to achieve the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 to provide 7% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020, 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050.”
Last week, the 200MW Phase II of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park was inaugurated.
Image: EDF joins Masdar-led consortium for Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Photo: Courtesy of start08/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
